Toothpick-holder.



F. JACKSON.

TOOTHPICK HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 9. 191a.

Patented Jan. 16, 1917'.

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TOOTHIPICK-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 16, 1917.

Application filed May 9, 1916. Serial No. 96,299.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FOREST JACKSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Yetter, inthe county of Calhoun, State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Toothpick-Holder; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to a tooth pick holding and dispensing device, and has for its object to providea device of this character which embodies novel features of construction whereby a number of tooth picks can be held in a hopper and discharged one at a time by the rotation of a roller.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a device of this character which is comparatively simple and inexpensive in its construction, which provides for supporting the ejected tooth pick in such a position that it can be readily grasped and removed by the fingers of the hand, and which provides in an effective manner for the discharge of tooth picks from the hopper one at a time, thereby preventing patrons of restaurants or hotels from carrying away a pocketful of tooth picks.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of the parts as will more fully appear as the description pro ceeds, the novel features thereof being pointed out in the appended claim.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tooth pick holder constructed in accordance with the invention, a single tooth pick which has been forced into the curved retaining flanges, being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional View through the same. Fig. 3 is a vert cal transverse sectional view. Fig. 4 1s a view similar to Fig. 3, taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1, and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of the invention, the numerals 1 designate a pair of opposed end standards, the bases of the standards being laterally enlarged or flared, as indicated at 1 to provide extended feet which give the necessary stability to the device so that there 1s no danger of the holder being overturned when operated. The upper portions of the opposed end standards 1 are connected by the downwardly converging sides 2 of the hopper within which the tooth picks 3 are positioned, said tooth picks being horizontally disposed and the length of the sides 2 being slightly greater than the length of a tooth pick. A horizontally disposed roller 4 extends across the contracted lower end of the hopper, the sides of the roller being just cleared by the lower edges of the sides 2 of the hopper. The ends of the roller 4 terminate in the trunnions 5 which are journaled within suitable openings in the end standards 1 and project outwardly beyond the end standards, the extremities of the trunnions being provided with enlarged heads orfinger pieces 6 which can be readily grasped by the fingers of the hand for the purl'pose of turning the roller to eject a tooth pic i.

The periphery of the roller 4 is formed with one or more longitudinal grooves 7 of a proper length and depth to receive one of the tooth picks 3. Each end of the roller 4 is also preferably provided with an annu lar groove 8 which intersects the corresponding ends of the longitudinal grooves or seats 7. Spring fingers 9 extend into the annular grooves 8 so as to bear yieldinglv against the bases thereof, and these spring fingers 9 may be formed integral with the upper ends of curved flanges 10 which project inwardly from the end standard 1 under the roller 4 and on each side thereof.

In the operation of the device the hopper is filled with tooth picks, the upper end thereof being preferably closed by a suitable cover 11. When a person wishes to eject one of the tooth picks the roller l is rotated by grasping one of the finger pieces 6 and turning the same. As the longitudinal seats 7 in the periphery of the roller are brought under the superposed pile of tooth picks in the hopper, individual tooth picks will drop into the seats and be carried beyond the sides 2 of the hopper upon a further rotation of the rollers. The spring ejecting fingers 9 will then forcibly eject the individual tooth picks from the peripheral seats 7 of the roller and cause them to drop upon the curved supporting flanges 10. When the roller 4 is turned in one direction the discharged tooth picks will be deposited upon one set of curved supporting flanges 10, while when the roller is turned in the opposite direction, the discharged tooth picks will be deposited upon the outer set of curved supporting flanges. In either instance, however, the middle portions of the tooth picks are exposed so that the tooth picks can be easily grasped by the hands and removed.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

A tooth pick holder including end standards, a hopper arranged between the end standards and having a narrow discharge opening at the bottom thereof, a horizontal roller journaled between the end standards and extending across the discharge opening at the bottom of the hopper, said horizontal roller being formed with a longitudinal peripheral seat for the reception of a tooth pick and also with annular grooves interthe hopper, curved flanges projecting from the end standards under the roller for engaging the ends of the discharged tooth picks to support the said tooth picks with the middle portions thereof exposed, and ejecting fingers projecting from the curved flanges and extending into the annular grooves of the roller for positively ejecting the tooth picks from the longitudinal seat of the roller as the latter isrotated.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FOREST JACKSON. Witnesses:

G. B. WIILHOITE, E. S. JAcKsoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. G. 

